Trying to find the right mix for a family vacation which includes some quality fishing is not always an easy task. My family and I just returned from Providenciales, the main island in the Turks and Caicos and I would like to report on one of the best mixes of fishing and family vacation that I have found to date. Provo lays just southeast of the Bahamas. It has a population of around 35,000 and is regularly served by several major US air carriers. No puddle jumpers to get here. The island offers world class diving off the reef on the north end of the island. There are plenty of other beach activities and a very nice golf course as well. There are numerous quality restaurants and an IGA where we bought our groceries. It was as well-stocked as most grocery stores in the US. There was no “we are out of stock and have to wait for the barge to come in from Miami” like you hear on many of the Bahamian islands. Also, food pricing both in the grocery stores and restaurants was comparable if not a little cheaper than Hawaii. The north end of the island makes up the 12 mile long Grace Bay beach. I have seen lots of beaches and this is one of the best in the world.

Grace Bay

The Flats

Grace Bay along with Chalk Sound and Silly Creek on the island’s south side are national parks (nature preserves) and no fishing is allowed. The cays along the NE corner of Provo are nature preserves as well. So how much fishing does that leave? A fair amount, but I wouldn’t go to Provo for a week just to fish the flats. Because the flats aren’t that large, the fish would feel too much pressure. I know that on the two flats where I spent most of my mornings the fish were getting used to my fly after a few days. That said, I was the only person on those flats. The best flats were those along the outer edge of the island. There are inner island flats that hold plenty of fish but the sand is mucky and hard to wade in. Finally I learned that a fishing license is now required. I purchased a 30 day license from the Quartermaster in Turtle Cove Marina for $30. A 7 day license is also available.

The Fish

Tides were very important. It is usually easiest to catch fish on the higher end of an incoming morning tide, but for this trip that wasn’t the case. Except for the first and last days fishing, my morning’s fishing were on the low end of an outgoing tide and/or incoming tide. However I always did find some fish. My morning catches ranged from 2 to 8 fish. The best catch rate of 8 fish was on a high tide the first day.

Getting Around

To get to the flats you definitely need a car. I rented a beater; “Frack” was his name, from Scooter Bob's for $55 a day. They also pointed me in the direction of the islands best flat. Besides renting scooters and cars they had snorkel and dive gear along with fishing gear. I am sure that they could have helped out in arranging a guide for the day, either flats or blue water. I know that Silver Deep offers guide service, but it is pricey. Silver Deep offers dive service as well and charge a premium over the other dive shops. The main roads were paved even though you drove “Brit” style on the left side of the road. All the other roads were graded coral or packed sand and rutted to some degree or extreme.

Sounds like a great trip, I am heading to Provo next month, would it be okay to chat with you about your trip by phone? If so you can reach me at diyflatsfishing@gmail.com and I will follow up with a phone call. Thanks

Phil,
Tan is a great color in the T & C's for flies based on the two islands I've fished there. Crazy Charlies, Gotchas and Mini Puffs all worked well.
Tie some with varies sizes of eyes and without eyes (blind).
I always used a floater with a 9-12 foot leader.
SF